Welcome to Litsy!

I'm a little less mad than I was ~50 minutes ago when I posted my last update on this, BUT I saw a particular aspect coming a long way away and it doesn't matter how much it got lampshaded by the character saying “yes, I should've realised“, she SHOULD have realised, and it deeply annoyed me.

I did love the teacher's-eye view of a magical school, and being Welsh, found it pleasing that it was British and the school journey was recognisable.

If this plot “twist“ isn't subverted in some way in the next 25 pages, I am going to drop my rating of this book by at least two stars from what I expected earlier today. I saw this coming a mile away, and the character involved should've too.

I have rarely felt so furiously disappointed in a book, so I really need to start reading again now or I'll put it down forever... but there is actually the chance it will rescue itself somehow soon.

Been meaning to get to this for ages, finally got started! It's gonna take me longer to finish it than I “budgeted“ for in figuring out whether I can still get a blackout in #BookSpinBingo, according to Bookly... which means I'm all pouty and wondering how much work I can pare down to get more reading time, ahaha.

A really interesting take on the magic boarding school story, because it's from the perspective of an adult and moreover, the adult primarily in charge of the safety of the kids. (How many times have I read one of these books going, “WTH is wrong with all the grown ups in this school?!)

I felt there were important issues raised around the nature of demons that weren't sufficiently explored, so I didn't love it as much as I might have.

'When you spend your days with teenagers, you age fast. Spiritually, if not physically, I really am an ancient crone. Sometimes they explain the internet to me.'

'We had internet in 2003.'

Walden snorted. 'Try telling them that.'

"It was an unfortunate truth that in the Venn diagram of 'qualified to teach magic' and 'still alive,' the overlap consisted almost entirely of people who had always been much too sensible to accidentally get eaten by a demon." - pg 1

I'm starting The Incandescent today.

Loved it! I related to the MC teacher working at a magic boarding school. She‘s filling out a Risk Assessment for the demonic summoning she‘s conducting the next day with her high schoolers. Like, yes, it‘s magic, but there‘s also a lot of paperwork. 😋A fascinating magic system, some good action/battles, a subtle sapphic romance and a few gasp out loud moments made this a clear Pick. Our store book club had lots to discuss! I‘d read more by Tesh.

Do not walk, RUN, to your local bookstore and pick this up. Absolutely wonderful. If you ever wanted a teacher‘s perspective on HP, this is the book for you. #summerreading #queer #fantasy

#summerjob #summerreads #queer #fantasy

Flying through this book. #queer #fantasy #magicschool #wlw #summerreads

I loved the magic system in this and the fact that it's a magic school tale told from an instructor's perspective not a chosen one student.

It was easy to pick The Incandescent as my May pick, since it has a huge standout for me. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being my favorite read of the year.

#readingbracket2024 #bookbracket2024 @CSeydel

5/5

If you work at a magical boarding school, preventing demonic incursions is just part of the job, and Doctor Walden is extremely good at her job, despite her own past experience with demonic incursions.

I loved this book. I thought the perspective of a magical school from a teacher was incredible. I also loved the magic system within the book and the way it intertwined with everything. Overall, I loved the directions this book went in.

Hung out at the Farmers market on Saturday afternoon - had some boba tea, listened to live music, and finished this book! It was great! Kind of different from what I was expecting, but definitely in a good way! 💕📚

The traditional magic British boarding school like you‘ve never seen it before—through the eyes of the highly competent, over-worked Director of Magic who has to keep a centuries-old campus and its reckless students safe from the demons her own power runs off. I loved seeing one of my all-time favorite tropes turned on its head, with a badass bisexual magician at the helm! Highly recommended for fans of the Scholomance trilogy & Magic for Liars.